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free offline maps for hiking

In South America early 2018 I quickly learned that most every tourist was using the free maps.me app every day.

I was using Google Maps offline.

Google has the best map data in the world.

Maps.me uses Open Street Map data.

Soon I was using both apps and comparing the results. Google Maps offline might be better but it’s far more complicated. You must define the exact square area you want to download. Files sizes are huge.

Maps.me does only one thing. And it does it well.

Opening the app in a new geographical area while on wifi results in one prompt asking if you want to download the maps for your current area. It’s dead easy.

Offline it uses GPS to pinpoint your location.

Surprisingly some hiking trails are included in the Open Street Map data.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

If interested, download the free Maps.me app to your mobile device. Browse the Maps.me support – Getting started.

 

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Washington State – Ape Cave Trail

This fascinating hike includes a trek through the 2.5 mile Ape Cave, the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States. …

You’ll want to bring sweatshirts and plenty of outerwear, head lamps or lanterns, flashlights and spare batteries. …

Ape Cave was formed about 2,000 years ago from lava streaming down Mount Saint Helens.

Skamania County’s Ape Cave Trail

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scrambling Crib Goch, Wales

Crib Goch is described as a ‘knife-edged’ arête in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name means ‘red ridge’ in the Welsh language. …

All routes which tackle Crib Goch are considered mountaineering routes in winter or scramblesin summer—meaning that they must cross ‘graded territory’ as defined in Steve Ashton’s Scrambles in Snowdonia….

Crib Goch is one of the wettest spots in the United Kingdom …

CRIB GOCH – ONE OF BRITAIN’S GREATEST RIDGES

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find a trekking guide for Nepal

Micah Hanson is an expert on independent trekking in the Himalayas (indietrekking.com).

In collaboration with a Sherpa friend from Nepal, Micah launched Sherpana.com.

There hikers who don’t want to go it alone can book trekking guides online and review the guides.

In addition the site allows people to join each others treks, if they choose, so that they can share the cost of the trip with other trekkers. (It reminds me of TrekkingPartners.com, a site I’ve used in the past.)

They’ve tried to make pricing as transparent as possible, and allow people to book only the guide and pay for the food and lodging directly to the lodge owners.

Prices do look competitive. For example, this upcoming trek:

Everest Base Camp Trek (13 days) 

Price for 2 hikers would be $352 (each) for 13 days, but you can add extra days and side trips like the Cho La pass to Gokyo, ect.  Extra days for 2 people, would be an extra $15.50 per person per day.